Houston Rocket’s interest in Jimmy Butler seems to carry on. He is, apparently, Houston’s pick of this enormously talented free agency market this summer. But the problem is, they do not have the cap space to afford Jimmy Butler and Clint Capela both.
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Thus, in order to land their star man, they would have to make some big moves to free up cap space. Bold moves are required ahead for the Rockets.
Capela and the Rockets to part ways?
One such bold move is dealing one of their biggest assets, Clint Capela. Capela still has four years of his $90 million, five-year contract left. But the Rockets need a surety that they would be able to get Butler before they make any moves to shift out Capela. They do not want to lose Capela AND miss out on Butler.
The Rockets believe they have a trade partner for Clint Capela but do not intend to deal Capela unless they are sure they can acquire marquee Sixers free agent Jimmy Butler, according to a source briefed on Houston's thinking
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 28, 2019
There are several teams out in the NBA that are interested in young talent like Capela. The 25-year-old is coming off one of his best seasons. He averages of 16.6pointss, 1.4 assists, and 12.7 rebounds per game this season. His shot efficiency is quite high as well, with 64.8 percent of them from the field and a 1.5 blocks per game.
A game of patience for the Rockets
The Rockets do still value Capela, but after two disappointing playoff exits in a row, they feel that it is perhaps time to part ways.
#NBA Celtics – Danny Ainge has made several “silent” agreements before free agency begins. It is now expected that Boston will land Kemba Walker and Clint Capela come Sunday afternoon.
— Robot Dave (@Robot_Davey) June 28, 2019
But in order to get their main target, Butler, they would need the player and his current team, the Sixers, to agree on a sign-and-trade. And that is something that neither party has given any indication of doing so far. The Rockets are currently biding their time, and will hope the developments in the coming days are in their favour.
